A Northern Irish trade mission

Last week a group of tech and tech-adjacent companies from Northern Ireland came to Chicago and Toronto to figure out how to go-to-market in North America. While guest hunting, I got a chance to meet with many of the ventures and deliver a "here's how you go-to-market in Canada" talk. It was super interesting to see how they pitched themselves and how an ecosystem pitches itself to entrepreneurs.

An ecosystem having a unique value proposition is a tricky thing to accomplish, but clearly is absolutely needed to truly differentiate yourself from the rest of the world. Saying "we've got smart and cheap talent" is... a commodity... I'm sorry to say. I'm not saying anyone said this in my meetings, just noting a pattern I've heard over the past year.

Northern Ireland's is super clear: we're Schrödinger's cat! The way that Brexit was resolved, as I understand it, is they're both in the UK and in the EU at the same time. The only place in the world like that. Interesting for companies thinking about expanding to both markets...

Ok, Where's the Show?

Great question. We've got one done and are recording a second one tomorrow... Having done this many times before, we're looking to get a few shows in the can before publishing so we can find the right guests, not just to fill a slot in our schedule. Finding investors & founders from around the world ain't easy, especially when you're looking for unique ones.

Thanks for your patience folks! In the meantime, keep an eye on us on YouTube Shorts, TikTok, or even Instagram. You can even come hang with us on our shiny new Discord!

Who Do You Know?

Like last week, one quick ask: we're busy recruiting guests and expect to launch ASAP, but if you know of any investors or entrepreneurs outside of Canada who are building their tech companies differently, details here, send them our way!

Upcoming Events

Here's what's coming up, and do subscribe to our events calendar here.